Sorting machine



-Spt. 4, 1951 Q z, WISEMAN 2,566,756

SORTING MACHINE Filed March 23, 1945 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 zo z5 n l 11 ,3 if .1. I 41 /25 "3 21m- .l I T2 IN VEN TOR. 0504,@ Z. M55/VAN,

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O. Z. WISEMAN SORTING MACHINE Sept. 4, 1951 15 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 23, 1945 MM ,MM MM o VE r N5 r ,M a d. W u

SePt- 4, 1951 o. z. wlsEMAN 2,566,756

SORTING MACHINE ,4free/win ,t I( '.entnmetieellr sorting suon obieots eeoerdlns te V--UNITED sTA-TES PATENT oFFlCE SQRT-ING MACHINE Osenr Z- Wiseman, Altadenn, Calif, Application March 23, 1945, Serial No. 584,399

l l t ,My intention relates broadly to apparatus for ...getting objects suon rivets. bolts. screws, and

l'k and, more nertoularly to n devise for the length of their Shanks- 1-5 rny oosnendins annlioetion, Seriell.y N0- l lpl, nled. De. inner .6, 11943, new abandoned. f. e Conveying. ond Sortir-ls Apparatus, l have niet@ the sin einen iledsfwiien entesl to the seeing ineens uniform noely ,nnnronriste delivering rndehineryr Rivets, bolts, end serrer/.sl are also elessiiied @coordine lens-th. o f their slrnnlrs or stems! end my presnt ,invention f for so sorting thorn nier lr he incorporated, though not'neoes# y, the @entering ,and positioning ineens sed in my earlier application. fwhile sundry definesv forY v,rleetins here been known ve been of types so .md ond ,ineen lne er rnrnewer. of the senernl be adjustable .for line seleoe er Y; flleient meenemen principle the sprl ation .or `forte wos wholly or .,.esnltins terne vectors. under he gnuenee of n ine sorted .object intent Besseren e .diree t desired.' It is tnereiore n; i et f my invention this type of 1- to provide sorting ineens-itinere adjustable to site nnely .detennineble .seleotlve limitsf It is also ebieet to prende en ediustnbility ssleptelole to sorting various or'obieots tent may diner in standards .of dessinee ties by, length,

.Another ole-jest er invention to provide sor-tins ineens .listing .appreciable degree of adinet ility in the horizontal pleno, so tnet tno nnen-ine o whole indy be resdily ,modifi d to ossements or-titles, res ringA snel-,1 .niediilesr used in the sorted with a minimization of accidental vectors o f force that might move thematerials in undesired directions.

These and other ohjets of my invention will become apparent from the following description of preferred and modified forms thereof, and from the accompanying drawings illustrating those forms, in whioli:

- Fig. l is a plan View of my improved sorting apparatus showing its relationship to the corf-v veyins apparatus described in my co#tending application herelllbefere referred t0;

Fig. 2 is a sectional elevat'on along line 2-2 of Eig. l, .showing the eomplete apparatus;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal setional View along line 3T3 of Fig, 2, with the elements therein shown, for convenience, as if mounted in one plane, and .snowing the general assembly of the driving meehenisln;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged horizontal section of one of the unil? dlVegl'Oups showing in detail my preferred onstrnotion of the sorting or knock.- off ,ooms and `the means of driving them;

Fig. o is en elevational View partly in erosse section `@long line 5-,-5 ci Fig. 4, showing the method of mounting the oarrier disc and Y o. kIlQk-.of cam with vits driving mechanism relation to the -iiXed ports of the machine;

6 is an elevation taken along line 6-6 of Fig. 7 is a plan View of ank alternative embodif ment of my knoclgfoff cam; and

Fiere is .en elevation .ofthe seine embodiment and, part .of e oerfrier dise.

When in the following desription I refer to rivets, it willbe understood that this term'is used 4for brevity as len example oi the type of obieot that may be .sorted and that my invention may ,also be applied to the sorting of articles of similar shape snch as, for example, bolts or screws. f

Referring new to the drawings and partigularly to Figs. '1 and Z'thereof, the numeral ID designates a set of tapered conveyor rollers `positioned to v deliver za, plurality of rivets Il to carrier means, such as a disc I2, which may have on its periphery a plurality of notches |13, eegch adapted to'receive and carry a. rivet, described infmy gro-pending' application, Serlnl No- 513,161- 'Eheserivets are suspended ln the notoires I3 by their heads, with their Shanks projecting below tine dise to levels varying-with their length, and it is'fthe function or the hereinafter described meehenism to sort therrl'aooordine to their length or ,end to rnovethem .into reeeptaeles 3 specific to their sorted classification. For this purpose I prefer to provide, as the general framing and support member of my mechanism, s, round plate I4 which may be mounted in fixed position upon" support posts I5 and I6 lcna base I1. Around the base I1 are positioned a plurality of receiving bins I8, not necessarily integral with the base or with each other, as it may be desirable to use them as individual transportable containers. One ofthe support posts Ili serves 'also to support journal boxes I9 Iand 20, which by means of appropriate bearings (not shown) rotatably suppor'tand guide a vertical shaft 2I. A drive pulley 2231s keyed to the lower portion of shaft 2| and is connected by a belt 23 to driving means (not shown) which may for convenience be the drive of the adjacent conveying apparatus. I

Around the periphery of plate I-4 and threadedly mounted thereon as shown in general in Fig. f

2 and. in greater detail infFigs. 4 and 5, I provide a plurality of stud bolts 24, one for eachy of the receiving bins I8, and each positioned substantially centrally above the opening of its respective bin. Each stud bolt 4 supports, by means of a threaded T fitting 25, a vertical post 26, the upper end of which is broadened to form a flat-bearing plate 21, las best shown in Fig. 2. Each bearing plate 21 supports a knock-off edge cam 2B, rotatably mounted thereon by means of a slotted and threaded axle pin 29, nut 30 and roller bearings 3 I as shown in ,detail in Fig. 4. To provide driving means for the cams 28, each cam is extended and grooved ori lthe side adjacent the bearing plate 21 to form a grooved pulley 32 adapted to be engaged by a round belt 33.'

Stud bolts 2-4 m-ay or may not be mounted radially in plate I4. but each is preferably mounted so that the working face of the cam 28 carried thereby lies in a" vertical plane radial to vplate I4. The advantage 'of this construction will be appreciated when the operation of the cams is considered. As illustrated in the plan view'of Fig. l, and in Figs. 6 ari-d 8, in which the views are radial to the carrier disc I2, the cams are mounted in a circle directly below the notches I3 on' disc I2. C

As it is the function of the cams to knock the rivets out of their lodgment in the notches I3 and into bins I8, it is highly desirable to have the cams apply their forceradially so that the rivets will be accurately aimed toward the bins in which they are intended to fall.

. It will also be seen, particularly by reference to Fig. 2, that the threaded and locked construction of stud bolts 24 and vertical posts 26 provides for the adjustment of these elements-so as to permit the accurate positioning of the cams 28 within a horizontal and vertical range of considerable extent. The horizontal adjustment, ef-

fected by stud bolts 24, allows the use of'discs'of 'varying diameters or of deeper or .shallower notches I3, as may be found desirable in sorting objects of varying shapes and sizes, and the Vvertical adjustment, effected by vertical'posts 26 'is of primary importance in setting the mechanism for the sorting of objects according to their length.

In order to drive the series of cams 28 adjusted to different heights, I have provided driving means which also have vertical adjustability'. Referring now to Figs. 2 and 5, it will be seen that shaft 2| extends upwardly through :a bearing 34 in plate I4 and carries in upward succession above plate I4 a plurality of free arms 35, which may be' supported by plate I4 and by each other, a pulley 36 keyed to shaft 2| and having -a plurality of grooves in its driving surface, and disc I2 hereinbefore mentioned. Disc I2 carries centrally a journal box 31 which is supported on shaft 2l by ashoulder 38 in the upper portion of said shaft, and is freely rotatable on said shaft by means of bearings 39. The upper portion of journal boxy 31 carries in fixed relative position a grooved pulley 40 adapted to receive and be driven and the driving means to which they are con.

nected. It is desirable to have disc I2 `rotate in synchronization `with the conveying means in order to receive'the rivets as they Varel' delivered to it, while shaft 2|-, although acting-as' aisupport for disc I2, may rotate independently at'any4 speed required by its function asa driving means, which will be presently explained. i

Referring now to Fig. 3, it will be seen that the knock-ofi' cams 28 are divided into-a plurality o1'v groups, each of whichis Vdriven asan entirety by a belt 33 engaged in one of the grooves'f pulley 33. Fig. -4 showsy the driving means connecting pulley 3S to one of these groups, and Fig. 5 shows the same means in its relation to a single one ofthe cams. The purpose of this grouping with each group driven by its individual belt 33 is to to enable the cams to be set individually at de-` sired heights, as shown in Fig. 2, without the necessity of driving each cam individually from shaft2l.

Free arms 35 are equal in number tothe groups into which cams 28 Yare divided, and each arm supports a vertical shaft 42, threadedly` engaged therein and adjustably fastened thereto by ya lock nut 43, as shown in Fig. 5,- Mo'untediby suitable lbearing means onV each shaft 42 is'an idler pulley 44. Each arm 35` also carrlesaflug 45 engaging one end of` a spring146, the other end of which is fastened to a post 41 set iii= plate I4, as shown in Figs-."1V and 5f Belt 331s engaged by idler pulley 44 4ancispring l4B serves to'maintain tension'thereon. Y

A further series of idler pulleys 48 is'moun'ted on shaftsv 49 'adjustably threaded into"plate-l4 and locked theretoV by nuts v'50. As shown iii Figs. 3 and 4,pulleys 48 are divided in groups corresponding to the groupings ofc'ar's 28, each group of pulleys containing one less pulley than the number of cams `inthe corresponding group.' Belt 33 for each group of cams and idler-pulley engages a groove on pulley 36 a't substantially= a mean height for the group of cams andderives its driving force therefrom, thence engaging-its respective idler pulley 44 and beingma'intained intension thereby, thence'engaging pulley-"32 on the i'lrst of the cams 28 of its group, then back to the rst of'idler pulleys 48 offits group, thence outwardly-again to'the nxtcarri 2li-'and inwardly 'to the next idler -pulleyA 48, andfs'o on l until it has traversed the circuit of all the cams in the group and returns to pulleyv 36.V It will be seen that the adjustability in height of idler pulleys44 and 48 to correspond approximatelyv on any onepulley.

- My preferred form of knock-oi!` cam 28 is best illustrated in -Figa '4 and 8. -Thecani may appropriately be hexagonal, as shown, with six flat cam surfaces i, as the -diiIerence in radius be the circumscribed Vand inscribedcircles of a hexagon conveniently permits the shank o! a rivet to move into the zone between the circles soos to be above a flat surface and then to make contact with the `following ext-ruding angle of the cam. However, it will readily be seen that the cani, depending upon its size, might have fewer than six sides', or more, and still permit the above-described movement and contact.

Furthermore, to facilitate the free movement of arivet into the zone between the cil-cum scribed and inscribed circles of the cam, I prefer to yplace a chamfer 52 on the edge of the, cam face opposed to the direction of movement of the approachingrivet. By means of this cham,- fer` a ksubstantial number of rivets will enter the inter-circlezone before making contact with the i circumscribed circles of a '2 hexagon is 0.134'

be dislodgedfrom the disc il! vand knockedfin* to the first bin. Those rivets which clear thev rst cam proceed to the secondcam which is adjusted to a vslightly higher level and-which knocks into the adjacent bin all rivets that itV so on around the circle of cams. The iinal cam.

may` be set so high as to catch even broken stemmed rivets that extend below the disc.

As the difference lin radius of the inscribed `and inch or a little more than 1/8 inch, it will be clearthat if the cams are of '2" diameter and cam and will receive a push directed upwardly and outwardly. I have found it desirable to extend chamfer somewhat beyond the inscribed circle ofthe cam, thus assuring that the longest rivets that are likely to be presented to it `'will kstrike upon it rather than upon the sideeface of the cam and that the push given tothe rivets vwill thereby be upward and substantially in the direction in which it is desired to move the rivets. I` have found that manyof the rivets striking the chamfer at one oi the angles of the cam will ride momentarily upon its face and travel across it to become opposed to the working face of 'the cam vat the next .succding at surface `and to he engaged by lthe vnext succeeding ridge of the cam, by which' they are propelled in the desired direction.

As an alternative to the chamfered construction .of the cam shown in Figs. 4 and 6, I may use the form of cam shown in Figs. 7 and B, inv-which a cam substantially of thev shape of a convex-faced nut has .a plurality of flat surfaces 5l on Yits working face and conical ends 53,. and 5l, conical end 5.3 taking theV place Loi chemin 5 .2 and receiving .and guiding the ends of the rivets that strike it, and conical end 5l acting as one side of grooved pulley 32.

In order to allow the rivets to ride upon the.'

chamfer vor cone of my cams and to enter the inter-circle zone and to receive a strong pro-f pulsion from the angular ridges of the cams, I have :found it desirable :to drive the cams at a peripheral speed greatly in ext-:cssA of the periphcral vspeed of the disc I2. In practice, I have found that with a 141/2 inch disc rotating at l5 R. P., M., a :2" cam rotating yat 35.0.12.. P. M. Seite goed results, but :it will be understood that this speed ratio isV only an example. and that grmte or lesser ratios lmay be found desirable according to the weight and type .of the objects te be sorted. operation1 the first caim in the circle, count.- ing from the point at which the rivets are 1recaiyed by disel 421is so adjusted in vheight that the of the longest .rivets which it is desired to .permit to pass this cam lwill just clear the angular ridges of the cam, and is laterally. adj-usted so that the center of the cam is positioned approximately vertically under the path oi travel of the rivet Shanks. This :lateral adjustment is maintained throughout the sequence o cams. llt will loe `clear that :all rivets of more than a certain length will contact either the side face or the working face of the cam and if fifteen such Acams as shown in Fig. 3 arey successively set at 1A" increasing elevation, they will shortr all rivets, for example, from 2 inches in shank length to inch, with the nrst camknockaing oi all rivets longer than 2 inches and the last cam setto knock oil all rivets shorter vthan 1/2 inch, and furthermore after the first cam is passed no rivet will strike the side face .or any cam. but all will either strike upon the chamfer or cone of the cams and be given opportunity to ride upon such chantier orv cone into the sueceeding flat vportion of the cam, or they will enter directly onto the' ila-t portion, in either event receiving from the next succeeding angular ridge an upward and radially outward thrust directly of 4shapes of greater or lesser ratio of the radii of their inscribed and circumscribed circles, and of greater or lesser size, and Aa-t appropriate speeds and vertical and horizontal adjustment, my in'- vention makes possible the sorting of a wide variety of objects withv an vaccuracy not hitherto possible.

Having now described and shown lpreferred and modified formsof my invention. I Wish it to be understood that I do not wish to belimited to the particular forms or arrangement of parts herein described, which are merely illustrative of the broad principles 'of my inventionr as defined in the appended claims. It is to be further Iurntlg'srstood that whenever in the appended claims Irefcr to rivets, I mean to embrace by that term all articles of the type having ahead or thickened portion by which they may be suspended and a shank or lengthened portion by the 'combination of t a sha-ft; a disc supported by said shaft and rotatable thereon, said disc4 'being' adapted to receive rivets and the like and to carry them aroundv to knock-'oit points; knotches on the perimeter Iof said disc adapted to suspend? said rivets foy the heads thereof; drive means yfor rotating said'disc independently of said shaft;v knockoff meansfbelowsaid disc comprising a plurality of supporting members yladj-nstably sta.- tionedin vertical and horizontal relationship to' the perimeter of -sai'd ldisc and an edge cam ca-rriedrotatably by each of said supporting memloer-sl and positioned thereby yto rotate in a plane radial to said dise, said cams having a 4workingy edge of regular polygonic` for-m and rbeing spa-.ced at successively decreasing vertical inter-- vals below- 'said disc so as to be adapted to knock off rivets of successively decreasing lengths and being `further adapted to being divided into groups having successively higher means group levels; 4means connecting each of said groups of ases-,1ae-

cains t"'said shafts in driven relationship thereadjustably stationed in vertical and horizontall relationship to the carriermeans and an edge cam-carried rotatably by each of said supporting members and positioned -thereby to rotate in a plane at right angles to the path of travel of said carrier means, said edgey cams having -a working edge of regular polygonic form and being spaced at successively decreasing vertical intervals below. said carrier means so as to -be adapted to knock ofi rivets of successively decreasinglengths, and being further adapted to being divided into groupsv having successively higher means group levels; means connecting each of said groups of cams tosaid shaft in driven relationshipr thereto for rotating the cams; andv tension means on each of -said connecting means, said=tension means being releasable whereby any of said connecting means and the groups of cams driven-thereby may selectively be made inoperative.l Y

3. In a sorting machine of the class described havingcarrier means for carrying rivets and the like to knock-off points: an edge cam positioned below said carrier means for knocking off rivets from the carrier, characterized by having a working edge of regular lpolygonio form and having a difference in radius of the inscribed and circumscribed circles of the polygon greater than the differential in length between the classications of therivets to be sorted thereby, and having one side of said working edge cut away to form a face at anintermediate-angle between said working edge and the adjacent side-face, said intermedi.-v ately .angled face extending to a p oint on the adjacent side-face within the inscribedcircle of the polygon, said cam being positioned to rotate inV a plane at a right angle to the direction of travel of the rivets and to receive and strike the Shanks of rivets longer than a desired classicationwithin the circumscribed circle of the polygon at a point substantially vertically above the center of rotation.

4. In a sorting machine of the class described having carrier means for carrying rivets and the. like to knock-off points: an edge cam positioned below said carrier means for knocking ofi rivets from the carrier, characterized by having a working edge of regular polygonic. form, and hav-v ing a. difference in radius of the inscribed and cir-A f cumscribed circles of the polygon 'greater than the differential in length between the classifications of the rivets to be sorted thereby, said cam being positioned to rotate in a plane at a right angle lto the direction of travel of the rivets, andV to receive and strike the shanks of rivets longer than a desired classification within the circumscribed circle of the polygon at a point substantially vertically above the center of rotation. l

5. In a sorting machine of the class described having carrier means for carrying rivets and the like to knock-off points: an edge cam positioned below said carrier vmeans Iorknocking -oflrivets from the carrier, characterized by having a working edge of regular polygonic form, and having one side of said working edge cut away to form af face at an intermediate anglebetween said work-- ing edge and the .adjacent side-face,said intermediately angled face extending to a point on, the adjaeentside-.face within thevinscribed circle. of the-polygon, said cam being positioned by ...its sup-porting member to rotate in a plane at\a right,

angle to the direction of travel of the rivets and,V

to receive) and strike the shanks of rivets longerV than a' desired classification within. the circum l scribed circle of the polygon at a point substantially vertically above the center of rotation.

6. In a machine for sorting rivets and the like, thecombination of: carrier means for carrying rivets and the like to knock-ofi points; a plurality of rotatable knock-oir means positioned at successively.-V decreasing vertical intervals below said carrier means and adapted to being divided into groups having successively higher mean.

group-levels; a' drive shaft; a plurality.- of belts each connecting said. drive shaft to one ot said groups of knock-off means, whereby each group is driven individually by means appropriate to its group level; and means individual toeach group of camsfor releasing the .tension on the belt of that group whereby that group may selectively be made inoperative.

'7. In a machinefor sorting rivets and the like,"

. the combination of: a circular carrier plate with` means on its peripheral edge for carrying rivets.y

and the like to knock-oli points; drive means for rotating said plate; knock-on" means. positioned aroundl said carrier plate at successively decreasing vertical intervals below said plate and adapted to being divided into groups having successively higher mean group levels; a drive shaft; a plurality of belts each connecting said drive shaft to one of said groups of knock-off means, whereby each group is driven individually by means appropriate to its group level; and individual tension means for each group of knock-oil" means for tensioning the belt for said group, each Vsaid tension means being separately releasable to release the tension on said belt whereby said groups may be made inoperative.

8. In a sorting machine of the class described havingcarrier means for carrying rivets andA theY like to knock-,off points: an edge cam posi' Ytioned below said carrier means for knocking ofi' rivets from the carrier, characterized by having a working edge of polygonic form, and having' a difference in radiusof the inscribed and Ycircumscribed circles of the polygon greater than:V

the differential in length between the classifica. tions of the rivets to be sorted thereby, said cam being positioned to receive andstrike the Shanksof rivets longer than a desired classification Within the circumscribed circle of the polygon at a point substantially vertically above the center oi' rotation.

.9. In a sorting machine of the class described;

the combination of carrier means adapted toV receive rivetsand. the like and to carry themf to knock-off points; .a shaft; means for rotating said shaft; means for driving said carrier means independently of said shaft; knock-off means be: lovvsaid carrier meansy comprising .a plurality of supporting members adjustably stationed in vertical :and horizontal relationship to the lcarrier means and an edge cam carried rotatably by each of said supporting members and positioned therefa plurality of .rotatable selectively by to rotate adjacent the path of travel of said carrier means, said edge cams having a working edge of polygonic form and being spaced at successively decreasing vertical intervals below said carrier means so as toflinock off rivets of successively decreasing lengths, and being adapted to being divided into groups having successively higher mean group levels; means connecting each of said groups of cams to said shaft in driven relationship thereto for rotating the cams; and control means operatively associated with each of said connecting means, said control means being releasable whereby any of said connecting means and the groups of cams driven thereby may selectively be made inoperative.

10. In a sorting machine of the class described, the combination of: carrier means adapted to receive rivets and the like and to carry them to knock-off points; a shaft, drive means for r'otating said shaft; additional drive means for driving said carrier means independently of said shaft; knock-off means below said carrier means comprising a plurality of supporting members ad-k justably stationed in vertical and horizontal relationship to the carrier means and an edge cam carried rotatably by each of said supporting members and positioned thereby to rotate in a plane at right angles to the path of travel of said carrier means, said edge cams having a working edge of regular polygonc form and being spaced at successively decreasing vertical intervals below said carrier means so as to be adapted to knock off rivets of successively decreasing lengths; means connecting said cams to said shaft in driven relationship thereto for rotating the cams; and means for selectively rendering said cams inoperative.

11. In a sorting machine of the class described, the combination of t carrier means adapted to receive rivets and the like and to carry them tor knock-off points; a shaft; drive means for rotating fsaid shaft; means for driving said carrien means independently of said shaft; knock-off means below said carrier means comprising a plu-, rality of supporting members adjustably sta-j tioned in vertical and horizontal relationship to" the carrier means and an edge cam carried ro-jl tatably by each of said supporting members and positioned thereby to rotate adjacent the pathf` of travel of said carrier means, said edge cams,-

having a working edge of polygonic form andf being spaced at successively decreasing verticali intervals below said carrier means so as to be adapted to knock off rivets of successively deffA creasing lengths; means connecting said cams to said shaft in driven relationship thereto for,r rotating the cams; and means for selectively ren-' dering said cams inoperative.

OSCAR z. WrsEMAN. A

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the: file of this patent: 3,:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Switzerland May 18, 

